Haunted Legend
by Chibiyu
Summary: I wish he would just open his eyes and accept the fact that ghosts don't exist. I sighed, looking up to the ceiling, feeling my eyes grow wide in terror, a scream getting caught in my shocked throat. Or maybe I'm the one that needs to open my eyes JONAS
1. Doll House

**Chibiyu: **_This is ONE of TWO Halloween stories for you. I had two ideas for MONTHS now. This one will be a two-three shot, the other one will be under ten chapters (maybe). _

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**_Haunted Legend_**

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**Summary: **_It's just another stupid legend and it's nothing to be afraid of. I wish he would just open his eyes and accept the fact that ghosts don't exist. I sighed, looking up to the ceiling, feeling my eyes grow wide in terror, a scream getting caught in my shocked throat. Or maybe I'm the one that needs to open my eyes…_

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_Really? We were really back to this again? Kevin…honestly, how many times do we have to scare you to get the message across? I picked up the 'Ghost GPS' from his chair and shook my head, rolling my eyes when I saw the 'ghost sticker' on it. What fictional being did Kevin come across now? _

"Kevin!" _I called, him walking over, his eyes going wide as I raised the GPS to him, my eyes wide in skeptical questioning. _"I thought we went over this last year." _He smiled at me, Joe walking over to and mimicking Kevin's rather creepy smile. Why did I need ghosts to scare me when my nightmares were right in front of me? _

"Nick…Nick, Nick, Nick, Nick….Nick…" _I rolled my eyes at Kevin's antics, throwing the GPS back down and crossing my arms, wondering how long this would take. _"Nick…oh Nicholas…"

"Ok Kevin, you've made your point." _Joe laughed, Kevin smiling and me rolling my eyes again, not amused in the slightest. _"Stella got us tickets to a REAL Haunted House!" _Joe told me, flourishing the pieces of paper like they were a magic wand. Which, in hindsight, was about as fake as this Haunted House. _

"Count me out. Take Frankie." _I turned around and walked to my part of the room, aware that they were following me. _"No guys. I will not waste my time with something as childish and unrealistic as a haunted house."

"Scared?" _Joe goaded and I rolled my eyes, sitting at my desk and turning to them. _"Is little Nicky a chicken?" _Kevin started clucking like a chicken and I just continued starring at them. _

"Nick, I am bringing my ghost stuff to prove the existence of ghosts!" _Kevin tried to get my attention, but it didn't work. _

"They don't exist Kevin. Just like clean hotdog stands in New Jersey. Now _please _drop this. I am _not _going." _I didn't care that I was being a stubborn party pooper. I was not going to waste my time with this. Not when I could be writing a song, doing homework or hanging out with sensible people. _

"But Macy's going!" _Kevin said and I looked over to him, confused. _

"Macy hates these kinds of things." _I told him, knowing what my girlfriend liked and didn't like. _

"We know that…" _Joe smiled. _"She will be clinging to you the whole time…but if you don't go, she will be alone!" _Curse them. Now I had to go. _

"Fine…but I don't like it." _I grumbled, putting headphones on to tune out their cheers of excitement. Ghosts…honestly, they both need to grow up. Wait…why is Joe happy? _"Joe?" _He looked over at me as I took off one headphone. _"Why are you suddenly into this childishness?" _After all, last year he was just as ready as I was to prove to Kevin that there was no Volunteer Fireman William Smith. _

_He smiled and looked to Kevin, pointing to Kevin's table by his big red chair. _"Last year, when I left the chili there…" _He whispered, being dramatic and trying to be scary. He failed. _"I came back to get it, and I saw it slowly vanishing, like someone was eating it. But no one was in the room." _He looked to the ceiling, hand going to his heart. _"And at that moment, I too, was a believer." _Wow this family kept getting weirder and weirder. _

_I put my hands in the air, knowing it would be better to surrender and maintain my stand on this issue with silence than to provoke further argument. I knew I could win the debate, but why bother trying? They will just move on to believing in zombies or something after this stupid ghost thing. There would always be another belief to disprove, so why make my job harder? _

"Fine, but I still don't like it." _I grumbled, putting the headphones on, listening to a wordless melody, my pencil poised over the paper, ready to write. Honestly, my brothers really needed to grow up. I watched them give each other winning high fives and I rolled my eyes as they slid down the poles. How were they the oldest? Or better yet, how was I related to these fools? _

_TIME SKIP-TONIGHT_

_How was I dragged into this? _

_I looked down at Macy, who was clutching my arm as we all starred at the old wooden, warehouse like house that sat in the middle of nowhere. Right. Joe and Kevin baited me with her._

"Why did you come tonight Mace?" _I asked her as we fell a step behind the others and she gave a nervous chuckle. _

"I figured that the only way to get over my fears was to face them and I know with you here I won't get hurt and that-" _I put my finger over her lips and she smiled, realizing that her nerves were causing her to rant. _

"I won't let anything get you Mace. I promise." _Because ghost's don't exist. A guy walked over to us, wearing all white and a cap covering his unruly brown hair and Macy screamed, me laughing at her quietly and hugging her close. _"Relax, it's only the guide." _At least, I thought he was because he had a name tag that said:_

Hello! I am Richard your guide!

_I rolled my eyes, huffing as the dude excitedly rocked on the balls of his feet. Honestly, he needed something better to do with his time…but then again, I guess it was fun to lead a bunch of idiots through a 'haunted' house and watch them scream. I looked back to the old house, noting how overdone it was with boarded up windows, some of the broken, and some of the wood siding chipped and gone. Joe and Kevin were never going to live this down. I can't believe those fools believe in this drivel. _

"Lucas group?" _Richard asked and Joe and Kevin nodded, Stella latching onto Joe's arm. Joe looked rather proud of himself as he placed his arm protectively over his girlfriends. So maybe there was another reason for him to doing this…and then he ruined that theory by grabbing the "Ghost GPS" and letting go of Stella. Way to go Joe…I think you should be more afraid to letting Stella down than of fictional ghosts. _

"Let's get this over with." _I muttered under my breath, Macy agreeing with me and letting out a breathless chuckle, her eyes filled with nerves. _"Nothing will get you Mace. It's not real." _I tried to console her, but the tour guide cut across me. _

"Not true, nonbeliever." _I openly rolled my eyes. _"This is the house of the Gregorson Family." _I had to scoff at that fake name. Come on; please make this at least SEEM realistic. _"I think you will find it quite active…" _He paused, looking to us and Macy clung to my arm even tighter. I pulled her in a hug and kissed the top of her head, not believing she was actually scared. _

"Tell us about the family…before we are in the house…" _Kevin told the guide, a nervous look in his eye as he again looked to the shadow infested house. My eyes starred to the clouded night sky, thinking that the glow of the moon was freakier than this tale. _

"Good idea, if I talk about them inside, they might get angry and seek revenge on our mortal souls." _Good grief this guy was selling it WAY too much. _"The family…all of them were not…right in the head." _Stella nodded, drinking in every single word of nonsense. _"There were five of them, three of which are still said to haunt this very house. They lived in the 1800's, though no one is sure about the exact date in which they moved here and when they died." _He was whispering now and…Kevin was taking notes. Wow, he doesn't even do that in school! I had to shake my head at that. _"Maria, the mother, Daisy, the daughter, and Michelangelo, the son. It is said, but not proven that the daughter and son went to kill their father, and they succeeded. Their father was too…clean and pure for the family family name was one associated with the Devil and witchs amd demons...and their father soiled that by believing in God and that "light." So the kids rid of him. Maria was so torn with grief and anger at her kids, killed one of them. Daisy and Michelangelo lived only because they blamed their youngest brother, who was exactly like their father." _Wow this is lame. _"Rumor has it, that Michelangelo, Maria, and Daisy haunt this place. The two kids will take those who are pure at heart and torture their souls until they change. Maria is said to trap those and keep them in the house until their death, as she is still searching for the one who murdered her husband." _He turned to me. _"You best be careful sir, you look like their youngest brother." _What a load of baloney. _

"It's Nick."_ I didn't want to be known as "Sir."__He nodded and Macy looked to the guide._

"How did Daisy, Maria and Michelangelo die?" _She whispered, backing away from the house, placing me as a barrier between her and the fake stories. _

"Daisy turned on her brother, as he was going crazy with guilt…but in the end, he killed her. He goes after girls…ones around your ages too. He killed himself because of the guilt of his deed" _I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Joe. And. Kevin. Macy clung onto my waist, burying her face in my back. Maybe I won't….no, I still am. _"Maria killed herself after losing her whole family, vowing that she would return and find the souls who destroyed her family." _Finally, it's over. Let's get the tour done with now. _

"Ok…ready to expose these things?"

"Yes!" _Joe yelled at Kevin's question. _

"S-sure." _Stella stuttered. _

"Whatever." _I told the sky. _

"No…" _Macy whispered and I pulled her back into my arms. _"Ok…" _I smiled at her, feeling her shaking as we started walking. _"Don't lead us Nick, because I am not letting you go." _I chuckled at that. _

"Whatever you say Mace." _She smiled to me, trust in her eyes. _

"I feel bad for Stella…" _She whispered, both of us looking to the blonde and smirking as she clutched Joe's arms. Joe had a mischievous gleam in his eyes; a look I knew well. Stella was going to hate Joe for scarring her. I wonder if Joe would have bruises by the end of the night?_

"Before we enter, I have to order you to STAY TOGETHER at all times. NO ONE gets left behind. Understood?" _Richard was very serious all of a sudden. I still wasn't believing this. We all nodded and he unlocked the door, clicking on his flashlight and passing us all torches as well before we entered the old house. _

_It looked like a kitchen. There were door-less cabinets and cobwebs everywhere. The table only had one chair standing at the head of the table; the others were thrown about, legs broken and so on. Everything was a fire hazard, the smell of old pine overpowering everything. _

"Maria left this chair standing to remember her husband." _Our tour guide whispered, pointing to the chair. _"Michelangelo is said to be heard in here…footsteps and moans mainly…listen." _It was all silent. I rolled my eyes, knowing something was going to happen to make us jump. But nothing did. _"Maybe we will be lucky tonight…I hate being in here." _Richard whispered, looking around, his eyes filled with anxiety. He was a good actor. Joe took one step forward and the floor creaked, causing Macy to jump and me to laugh at her. She glared at me, swatting my arm that she never failed to let go of. Joe pulled out of GPS and Kevin switched off his flashlight, putting on the night vision goggles. Should I shine my light in them? Nah…too mean, even for me and even for revenge._

_Kevin walked forward, stopping the doorway and going tense. _"Did you see that?" _Flashlights instantly lit up the dusty foyer and guess what? There was nothing there. What a big surprise. _"I thought I saw the bottom of a dress, moving away from us…" _He muttered, looking around. _"Must have been my eyes tricking me…" _Or your brain was tricking you more than it already is. What does it take to make two brothers to believe that ghosts don't exist?_

_I stepped next to him and looked around, eyes going to a mouse hole on the floor. _"Kev…" _I pointed and he looked confused. _"You probably saw a mouse or something." _He nodded, smiling at his own false assumption. _

"Yeah…it did look furry…" _I rolled my eyes, urging Macy forward and Richard bound ahead of us, pointing to the two halls that surrounded the very old and worn stairs. I looked at them in wonder, knowing that when they were in their prime, they would have been magnificent. And this room…perfect sound quality. I could make this a recording studio…_

"This hallway here…" _He pointed to the left one. _"Was Daisy's favorite hallway. The room on the end is her bedroom and the first one on the right is her doll room. Follow me and please, watch your step." _Stella gulped and walked right after the tour guide, as Joe had kind of pushed her aside. He opened the door and it creaked loudly, the sound echoing throughout the house in an eerie manner. When was this going to get scary? _

_Ok…now it was. _

_I shudder as I passed through the doorway, suddenly feeling hundreds of eyes watching me. And I was right to do so. Dolls were everywhere. All but one of them was positioned to stare at the door on the right of the room and the one that wasn't was starring right at me, as I was now in the center of the room. The dolls were on the floor, on the wall, sitting on a toy swing or looking at us through the windows of a doll house. Their outfits were dusty and dated, but some of them looked like they had just been discarded by their owner, like they had been played with recently. Others looked like they haven't been touched since their owner died. Their hair was filled with spider webs, their pale plastic skin worn and faded. The boy dolls, which were severely outnumbered by the girls, all had eyebrows drawn on them, so they permanently glared. The girls were untouched, minus the one that was looking at me. That one had short black hair and was scowling. This room was creepy. _

"I always got more activity when the dolls were being played with…" _Richard picked up a doll from the floor and I wandered over to the one that seemed to be following my every move. I looked back and saw Macy and Stella sitting by the doll house, grabbing a doll and dusting her off. _"But no matter how many people touch these dolls…"

"They return to the same spot." _I finished, Richard nodding and I sighed, reaching for the doll. _

_"Don't touch her!" We all jumped, looking around. And then I felt stupid. A motion sensor must have set off the recorded voice. I lifted the doll from its shelf and looked around, nothing more happening. I looked down at it, ignoring how everyone was looking at me and I nearly dropped it, to see it smiling evilly at me. Robot Doll. It had to be. Ghosts don't exist. I fixed the little hat on its head and put it back, walking towards the others. _

"W-who was that?" _Macy whispered, reattaching herself to my arm._

"Daisy?" _Kevin called, looking around. _"Was that you?" _Nothing answered him, which makes sense if this was all wired technologically. I wonder if there are cameras hidden here so the workers can laugh at other's expense. I won't give them that satisfaction…if I am right. And being Nick Lucas, I normally am._

"Let's keep moving…to her bed room." _Richard stopped and looked at the doll I had been holding. I turned back and it wasn't there. _"Odd…watch out, some people say that the dolls grab them." _I rolled my eyes again. Macy screamed and kicked something across the floor. It was the doll that had stared at me. It had been on her foot. I held her tightly, eyeing the weird piece of (hopefully) technology oddly. _

"Nothing will hurt you Mace, I promise." _I told her. She nodded, not trusting her voice. We walked through the door and entered Daisy's room. The level of silence seemed to intensify when Stella shut the bedroom door on Richard's command. The room was bare, only housing a bed with was covered in pillows and dust. It smelled like this room hadn't had any human's living in it for centuries. _

"This is the room where Michelangelo killed his sister…Daisy avoids this place, but her brother likes it in here…like it is a trophy for his victory." _I sighed and pulled my arm from Macy's hold for a moment to stretch. I grimaced as I felt cobwebs tickle my fingers and what I thought to be a mouse scurry over my foot. I put my arm down and looked around at the room. _

"What happens in here?" _Joe whispered, walking to the room's center and looking at the boarded window. _

"You can often see Michelangelo, standing where you are now, with a kitchen knife in his hand." _Stella jumped and grabbed onto Joe. _

"Something ran over my foot." _She whimpered and I rolled my eyes. I looked back at the door, hearing something on the other side. _"Did you hear that?" _Stella muttered, but I wasn't focused on the noise. _

"Where's Macy?"

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**Chibiyu: **_Yes. That was only the Intro, more scary to come, I promise. Another suckish starting horror fic, just in time for Halloween. Until Next Update!_


	2. Family Portrait

**Chibiyu: **_Let the scary(ish)ness begin!_

**Nick: **_…for once I know what is going to happen in this story, as I have read over her "Plot Points" notes. _

**Chibiyu: **_And that is why I don't write this "notes" very often. _

_DON'T OWN JONAS_

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**"Where's Macy?" **

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_ I looked back and opened the door, wondering if the scuffling I had heard on the other side was her, wandering off or trying to scare us. But no one was there. _

"Macy?" _Stella called, looking under the bed and all around. _"Sh-she's gone." _She stuttered, genuine fear in her voice, unlike the time we scared Kevin. That was fake…this was fake too. Ghost's don't exist…Macy is fine. This has to be a prank by the people who work here. _

"Wait…" _We all looked over to Kevin, who was next to our very pale tour guide. _"The doll…what if that was a sign that Macy was going to be taken?" _The room was silent. They honestly believed that? _

"Guys, it's obvious that the workers here took Mace to scare us!" _I stated, Richard looking at me with a sorrow filled expression. _"Ghost's aren't real! Doll's can't give signs!" _Why am I the only smart person here?_

_Richard stepped forward, looking at me with too wide eyes behind his glasses. _"I can assure you, that we are the only living people in this house." _He sounded so sure of himself…stop Nick. Don't believe in this. He sounded sure of himself because he was paid to. Macy is fine and safe. She was first to go because she wanted to get out of here. The workers took pity on her. Ghost's don't and never will exist. _

_I shook my head and looked to Stella, who walked over and clung to me, as Joe and Kevin were thoroughly absorbed with scanning the place with their "Ghost Equipment." I rolled my eyes as they didn't find anything. Of course they wouldn't. There was nothing to find. _

"Who would have t-taken h-her?" _Stella asked Richard as she clung to my arm. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, not believing that she actually thought her best friend was 'ghost-napped.' _

"It would have been Michelangelo." _Richard stated with confidence. This guy…how could anyone believe this? Only idiots would…like Joe and Kevin for example. _

"Can we just move on?" _I pointed to the door, which I had left open incase Macy had wandered off. Richard nodded, looking around the room on more time. _

"But instead of a tour, I think we are now on a rescue mission." _He walked out, looking to the doll room and shuddering. His hand shook as he placed it on the door and I mimicked him, only feeling skeptical when the door burned my hand from the sheer coldness of it. I grabbed the knob, but Richard's hand stopped me. _"No…" _He whispered, his eyes searching mine. I blinked once and slowly turned to knob, ready to expose whatever secret lies behind this door._

_And a scream tore through the silence, the sound right beyond this door. We all jumped and I pushed open the door without a second thought. That scream had been Macy's, and it didn't sound fake. I ran into the room, looking around, and seeing no one. Macy wasn't here. But then…where?_

"Nick…" _I looked over my shoulder and nodded to Kevin._

"I know…" _The dolls were gone. _

_"Get out…" All of them but me screamed at the chilling voice and the already cold room seemed to drop again in warmth. Only this time, I could see my breath in a fog in front of me. What was going on?_

"Wh-where's M-Macy?" _Joe asked, his stutter failing to intimidate the recording…at least, I hoped it was a recording. Stop Nick. It IS a recording. Don't get drawn into believing in the fake. _

_"Get Out!" The voice ordered again, sounding female and closer. _

"No." _I told it, crossing my arms and looking around I looked over to the far corner, thinking I saw something move, when the voice spoke again. _

_"GET OUT!" Something slammed into me from the side I wasn't looking and I fell back, my back hitting the doorframe. Before I could blink in surprise, I was being pulled from the room and the door slammed in front of me. _

"Nick, are you ok?" _I looked up at the petrified faces of my brothers and nodded, clearing my throat as I stood, forcing myself to ignore how my hands shook. _

"What hit me?" _I asked, brushing a wooden splinter from my shirt. Kevin looked to Stella, who looked to Joe, who looked to Richard. No one answered. _"What. Hit. Me?" _I asked again, quite slowly. I sighed, massaging my aching shoulder while glaring at the four. _"Fine, I guess I will go in again and see." _But my hand never made it to the doorknob; Stella had grabbed my wrist and wrenched it back. _

"The doll house hit you Nick." _She whispered her voice sounding very small, very frightened. _"You didn't see it, but it lifted up and…" _And it hit me. _

"Now do you believe Nick?" _Kevin and Joe both asked, pointing to my shoulder, but I shook my head. Anything could have thrown that doll house. Technology, or a hidden person…Ghost's aren't real. I won't believe in them without evidence. Without proof. This was all fake to me. There was no truth in this house. I would not allow myself to be scared._

"Can we just move on now?" _I irritably asked, not feeling like sticking around here anymore. Richard nodded and led us to the corridor on the other side of the stairs, but he blocked us off, not letting us go down there. _

"Down here is off limits. We used to go down here on tours, but everyone who went down this hallway ran out the door the moment they could. All of them, including me, had experiences and panic attacks. We don't go down there anymore. Maria claimed those rooms as her own and we have learned not to mess with her." _Richard told us, glancing nervously over his shoulder. He didn't want us down there…and I think I know why. _

"Well, Macy must be down there then." _I logically stated, ducking under Richard's arm, throwing caution to the winds. _"If no human ever comes down here, then it is the _logical _hiding place for her. AND her scream sounded like it was in the doll room, and she wasn't there." _I continued, starting to walk down and throwing off Richard's hand. _"So she must be in this room." _I stopped at a room which sat back-to-back with the doll room._

_I put my hand on the door and sighed as something grabbed my other hand. _"Guys, come on, Ghost's don't exist, so stop being so cowardly." _I looked to my hand and frowned when I saw that nothing was there, but the pressure still was. I said nothing about it, choosing to look to the others, who were all still cowering where I left them. _"Coming?" _They didn't move. _"Fine." _I opened the door and stepped inside. _

_The room was vacant and small. Nothing was to be seen. Only a single candle wick was hanging on the wall. Other than that, nothing. So where did Macy's scream come from? Then again…she probably left with the employee right after she screamed to make it all seem more real. I shrugged and walked to the back wall, turning and smiling as Joe peeked his head in. _

"See?" _I called to him and he slowly walked in. _"Nothing." _I walked out, brushing passed him, looking down at my hand, noticing the pressure had alleviated. It was probably all in my head, the paranoia of my idiot brothers and Stella must be getting to me. I turned and walked to the door at the end of the hall, and twisted the knob, only to find it locked. _

"Nick…Joe…please come back here." _Stella whispered as Joe slinked out of the room, looking torn between running back to Stella and staying with me. _

"Why?" _I called, leaning against the door, raised my eye brows. _"Scared?" _Stella nodded and Joe sighed, moving back towards her. I rolled my eyes, not bothering to move. I knew this was all a load of baloney. Behind this door was probably the control for all the voice recordings, objects moving, and employees. Macy was probably in there too, laughing at their fear. Kind of like I was right now. Ghosts don't exist. Why can't they see that? _

"Nick, I think you should come back here." _Richard suggested and it was my turn to sigh. I was about to straighten up when the door behind me suddenly fell open and I stumbled inside, not regaining my balance in time in the complete darkness. _

"NICK!" _My brothers yelled and I could have laughed, if I wasn't coughing from all the dust I just inhaled. _

"I'm fine." _I answered, standing up and turning on my flashlight again. So much for the technology control room. I stood, brushing my pants off and grimacing as spider webs stuck to my fingers. I heard everyone walk into the room and their flashlights suddenly illuminated the room, scaring off the shadows. Stella walked over to me and scowled at the state of my clothes, extracting a lint brush from her purse and taking it to my pant legs. _

"Nick, these are one of a kind!" _She whined, not thinking about that she was in a 'haunted house' and that I really didn't care right now. Joe snickered before looking around and Kevin was already searching with his night vision goggles. _

"Wasn't the door locked?" _Kevin asked as he looked to the lock and I shrugged. _

"I thought it was, but the handle might have been jammed." _Kevin turned the knob and it went easily. He locked the lock and tried it, the knob only jiggling slightly. He looked at my thoughtfully, a frown forming on his face. Wait…Kevin was looking thoughtful? Now that this has happened, maybe I should believe in ghosts! The impossible can happen! I chuckled lightly, no one knowing why. Kevin being thoughtful was as impossible as ghosts…_

"Maria?" _Joe called, Stella gripping my arm again as something shifted. The lights went to a mouse that was on top of a cracked wardrobe. _"Are you here?" _Stella squeaked and held onto me tighter as a spider dangled in her face. She looked to her left and looked at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair a little before turning to look around again. Richard walked carefully over and sat on the dust infested bed, looking around at the grand bedroom. He looked at something on the bed and picked it up, showing it to us. It was the same doll that had been on Macy's foot; the one that I had picked up. He put it back without another word, suddenly going very pale in fear. _

_The doll wasn't a sign like they seemed to think. It was only a doll. Nothing was going to happen to us. _

"I haven't been in here for two years." _He told us in a shaking voice, looking at a picture of the family on the wall. Stella extracted herself from my arm, which again had been wrapped around her shoulders, and walked with Joe to look at the pictures. I followed, leaving Kevin as he still fiddled with the door. _"The middle is Maria." _I leaned closer and smiled small at the large painting._

_A man was holding a woman close, a son and daughter on either side of them. They looked like they were outside, by one of the large maple tree's we had passed before we went in here. The family was very young looking. The nameless father looked only thirty, a smile lighting up his dulled by the year's eyes. His hair was short, neatly cut, and dark. He was holding onto Maria. She smiled as well, her dark eyes soft and her long hair swept over her shoulder. Wasn't it tradition to tie back your hair, if you were a woman in the 19th century? She wore a long gown, only it looked as if the sleeves had been crudely cut off by kitchen sheers. The dress looked white, but in a black and white painting, it was hard to tell. A girl, Daisy, had a hand on her mother's dress, and she was not smiling. Her hair was tied back and her eyes cold. She looked no older than 9 when this was taken. She had a bonnet like thing on her head and the doll that was by Richard, was tucked into the crook of her free arm. Her brother, Michelangelo, stood proudly next to his father, a top hat on his head and a winning gleam in his eye. He reminded me of Joe actually, the joking look he seemed to hold. _

"Look…a baby!" _I leaned in closer as Stella pointed and I smiled, seeing a crib next to Daisy, the bundle inside not shown. This family was said to haunt here? They looked perfectly fine to me. I don't see how they turned into murders. _

"Looks can be deceiving…I guess." _Joe whispered, obviously thinking along the same lines I had been. I still don't believe this nonsense. _

_I stepped away from the painting and to the mirror, wondering if Stella got all the dust off of my shirt too. I looked over to the bed and blinked. _

"Richard?" _They others turned at my unanswered call. _

"Where did he go?" _Kevin asked, standing up, still at the door. _"He didn't pass me." _Joe ran to the wardrobe and opened it while Stella open another door, which led to an old bathroom. They must have thought he had been trying to hide from us, to scare us, like I had thought when Macy "vanished."_

"Nothing." _Joe whispered as he got up from his knees, as he had been looking under the bed. Ok…this was getting freaky now. _

"Where are you?" _Kevin called, but I didn't know if that was for our guide or the ghost he believed in. I looked in the mirror, brushing dust off the surface, wondering if I would be able to see a reflection of his shadow, or a camera lens, or something I couldn't see without help. But there was nothing. _

"Hello?" _Stella whispered, latching onto Joe, who looked down at her, very confused. _"I heard a voice…" _She mumbled. I walked over to them and Stella screamed, pointing behind me. We all jumped, spinning around with racing hearts and it was gone faster than I could blink. _

"Maria…?" _Joe asked, looking at the mirror, trying to glimpse the dark set of eyes that had made their appearance. _"Are you here with us?"

A chilling laugh filled the air and something grabbed onto my arm.

I was too shocked to scream.

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**Chibiyu: **_I am lacking my writing MoJo right now. Ugh. But I need to write…I WANT to so badly! Until Next Update!_


	3. Upstairs Dusting

**Chibiyu: **_Still trying to find my MoJo…and failing._

**Nick: **_But that won't stop you. _

**Chibiyu: **_NOTHING can stop me. _

**Nick: **_What about me with a pitchfork?_

**Chibiyu: **_…take off your shirt and we will see. XP_

_DON'T OWN JONAS (be warned…I am in a weird mood) _

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**I was too shocked to scream.**

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_I looked at my arm, trying to not draw attention to my growing fear and the fact that I was starting to think that this was too elaborate to be a prank. Technology can't make nothing grab you. People aren't invisible while they are alive. But maybe…just maybe…this is still in my head. Maybe. I looked over my shoulder as the creaking of light, almost dancing footsteps came towards us in the hall. Kevin shakily opened the door and I unconsciously took a step back, Stella clinging to my arm as Joe looked over Kevin's shoulder. _

_There was no one there._

_The footsteps came closer still. _

"H-hello?" _Joe called, his voice cracking in fear and I swallowed once, trying to stop my hands from violently shaking, but it was hard, when something unseen was still latched onto my free arm. I wanted to tell them about it, but something was holding my tongue. My logic, my pride, wouldn't allow me to give in and admit that I was afraid, that something was touching me, and that I was starting to believe in a fairy tale. _

_The footsteps stopped mere feet from Kevin's outstretched fingertips and he jumped a moment later, squeaking and retracting his hand. _

"S-somet-thing t-touched m-me." _He stuttered, taking a step back and knocking into me. The cold grip left my arm at his touch and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. _"Joe?" _Joe shook his head at the call. _

"Nothing still." _He whispered, shaking the silent GPS. _"It's busted."

"Or ghosts aren't real." _I whispered, clearing my throat and pried Stella's arm off mine. _"Come on, let's find Mace."_ I stepped around them and looked out in the hall, covering my fear fairly well. No one moved with me. I stepped out into the hall, Joe's arm reaching out to stop me, but I did not stop. I walked to the other room in the hall, looking back at the scared trio as I turned the knob dramatically. Laughter sounded again, coming from the empty room in front of me. I blinked once and pushed open the door. _

_And I screamed. _

_Back tracking rapidly, my back hit the wall under a second and my finger was pointing inside the room, a scream still coming from my mouth and echoing down the dusty halls of wood. _

"Nick!" _All of them yelled and ran out the room, Joe grabbing me and Kevin pushing open the door, which had swung closed. _

"I knew that would get you to move." _I pulled away from Joe, shooting them a glare and rolling my eyes. _"Honestly…" _I bit my tongue form saying the rest. That prank might have been mean, but it got those scared idiots moving, didn't it? Kevin slammed the door to the empty room closed, rounding on me with anger in his eyes. _

"Nick! Don't do that!" _Kevin yelled and I shrugged, walking to the stairs and looking up them. _

"Think these are safe?" _I asked, brushing off their rude remarks about my rather rude joke. But it got them out of the room. It made them forget about the (hopefully recorded) laugh and the thing touching Kevin. It made them move. I wanted to find Macy and get out of here. I did not like this place. Real or fake, this was getting creepy. _

"I don't know…Richard is gone so we don't know anything…" _I looked at Stella and sighed. _"We can try that room…" _She pointed over to my left and I looked over, seeing a dinning type room. _

"We will split up, find them, and leave." _I suggested, but they instantly shook their heads. _

"No." _Kevin whispered, Joe nodding fervently. _"Its best we stay together." _I rolled my eyes and nodded, leading the way across the creaking floors to the other room. _

"Do you think Macy and Richard are together?" _Joe asked, peeking into the room while I just walked right into it. In the center was a large and grand dining table, its dark wood cracked and painted in grey dust and the occasionally fine silk of a spider web. The chairs were set in the same array as in the kitchen. Only more of them were strewn about the room and destroyed either by time, bugs, or the living dead. _

"Sure. Hiding with the other employees I am sure." _I acted bored, holding back a shiver as something cold brushed against my wrist. I didn't announce this touch either. They didn't need to know I was starting to believe, that I was starting to get scared. I don't even need to know that I was! _

_But what kept touching me? Was I the only one feeling this, or were the others too afraid to admit it? _

_I turned around and watched them exchange glances. _"Nick…this is real." _Joe tried to tell me, but I shrugged, always being the skeptical one. Nick Lucas was not about to believe in the paranormal. _

_Why do I not sound that sure anymore? _

_Maybe…maybe this is real. _

_And maybe my pants are made of cheese._

"Something t-touched me!" _Stella screeched, grabbing her wrist and knocking into Joe, who instantly hugged her, looking around with fear dancing in his eyes. Did Stella just feel what I did? The cold wind brushing against her wrist, making your very blood seem to freeze? So I wasn't alone in feeling these things. But what was causing it? I looked around, getting nervous as I heard scuffling right behind me, but I was sure that I was the only one who did. Why draw attention to it then? It was just…a mouse. It had to be a mouse. _

"Is anyone here?" _Kevin whispered, his voice high pitched though he was trying so hard to be brave. But brave for whom? _

_"Yes." _

_I jumped and backed up, as the female's voice was right behind me. _

"Nick, this isn't a time for jokes!" _Kevin scolded again. Wait…he didn't…?_

"You didn't hear that?" _Kevin looked at Joe, who looked down to Stella, the answer clear in their eyes. I shook my head and looked back to where I had been standing. _"Must have been my mind playing a trick on me. Stupid of me." _I looked over to them and crossed my arms. _"I still don't believe in this."

_They rolled their eyes and I set myself to controlling my sporadic heartbeat. Nothing had spoken. It had been in my head. I hope. But I didn't imagine the touches. And I am almost positive that my ears heard that voice. It was a girl's voice. It sounded too real to be a recording. I didn't hear static or anything click on; I only heard a chilling amusement that I have never heard in a living person's voice. Are we really not alone? Are Macy and Richard really in danger? Is this really real?_

"We need to keep moving." _I told them, surprised at how calm my voice was. _"I really just want to find them and go." _Stella nodded, agreeing enthusiastically and latching onto Joe's arm. Joe and Kevin nodded, looking around the room once more before walking out. _"Up the stairs?" _I didn't see any other rooms. They nodded. _

"Up the stairs," _they agreed._ _I looked at them, no one moving. I guess I had to lead again. I looked up at the old wooden stairs, looking at the dust carpeting. No one had been up here in ages. There were no footprints in the dust or trails on fingers on the railings…unless this was all fake too. I took a deep breath and gingerly stepped on the first step, a loud creak filling the house and Stella screaming, not expecting the noise. _

"Just the stairs…" _Kevin whispered, rubbing her back and stepping on the first step as I went on the second. Stella followed him and Joe brought up the rear. I stepped on the top landing, the creaking becoming silent as the others stopped behind me. _

"Nick?" _Joe called and I held my hand back, peering in the mist, the dust swirling and reflecting in my flashlight. _

"I thought I saw…never mind." _I shook my head, wondering if the small movement at the end of the sort hall had been a mouse. _"Just a mouse." _They didn't need to know. They didn't need nightmares. Not like I was going to have them, of course I wasn't! But Joe and Kevin…and Stella…they have…impressionable minds…and who am I kidding? This was getting creepier by the minute! Like a horror movie and I was the unknowing star. I shook my head, stopping my thoughts and I moved forward, letting the others move off of the stairs. _

"Where should we start?" _Kevin asked. Stella had her own plan. _

_"_Macy? Richard?" _She called, Joe's hand instantly covering her mouth. Silence rang true for a moment. I took a few steps forward, wanting to get away form the creaking landing behind us. And then my heart stopped._ _My blood froze. The air hardened. _

_I literally couldn't breathe. _

"Nick?" _I didn't move. I don't think I could've. I didn't answer either, having been thoroughly occupied with trying to get air back into my lungs. But that task seemed impossible. The air seemed to be gone. I felt a warm hand close around my wrist and I looked to see Joe looking at me in concern. He seemed to be fi-his eyes widened and his hand shakily went to his throat. He stumbled one step back before stopping, his hand still on my wrist. What was this? It felt like the air was gone! I can't breathe! I can't move! What is happening?_

_And then it was gone. I stumbled a step back and Joe fell to his knees, kicking up a ton of dust. Panic flooded into my brain as I registered that I could breathe again. I couldn't think for a moment, nor could I talk. All I could do was relive the hoard of fear as it finally set in. What had just happened? _

"What's wrong guys?" _Stella whispered. She didn't know? Why did only Joe and I feel this? _

"It was weird…" _Joe whispered, standing up and brushing off his pants. Stella didn't bother going insane over his clothes. Lucky him. _"It was like…"

"The air was gone." _I finished, finally finding my voice and this time, I didn't bother to hide the shake in my voice._

"Now do you believe?" _Joe asked, turning to me and I nodded once, swallowing as Kevin smirked in a winning way. _

"Oh shut up." _I whispered, forcing down the fear. They didn't need to win in that way either. Nick Lucas may be starting to believe in ghosts, but that didn't mean Nick Lucas was afraid of them. _"You experience what Joe and I just did if you find it so amusing." _I growled, Kevin's smirk fading. They didn't need to revel in their so called 'win.' So I believe now; it makes little difference. I still just want to get out of here, with Macy and Richard, and I want to go home. _

"Where too?" _I whispered, looking at the four closed doors and then the stair case at the end of the hall. That was exactly where I thought I saw something move. Let's just say I am not to keen to go over there. But I will not let them see my fear. Joe pointed to a door by the stairs and I looked over to him, confused. _

"I thought I saw something move over there…when we couldn't breathe." _I let him lead. He saw it, he should lead. And I was in no hurry to have another encounter with a ghost. Or technology. It was hard to tell now. Stella followed Joe, I followed Stella, and Kevin was right behind me. Joe pushed open the door gingerly, dust kicking up as the door swung open, it making mesmerizing patterns in our flashlights. Joe poked his head in and pulled out instantly, his face void of color. He wordlessly pointed inside, all of us cramming in the doorframe to see what he did. _

_It was the doll. _

_It sat in the center of the cluttered sitting room. _

_It was pointing at Joe._

_Stella screamed right in my ear, my hearing going silent for a moment as I walked back, blinking from the sudden noise. This was getting freaky. _

"Something grabbed me!" _Joe yelled, shaking his arm vigorously as if a spider was on it. Stella stepped away from him and grabbed Kevin's arm, looking up the stairs, her eyes wide. _

"I just saw a face…" _She whispered, her voice almost too shaky and quiet to understand. _"It was a girl's…" _She took a breath and looked at Joe. _"She was smiling at you." _Joe's eyes widened at the news and all of us heard his heart stop as his breath got caught in his throat. _

"But…I-I d-don't want to b-be taken!" _Joe whispered, grabbing my arm and hugging it, his breathing fast and sporadic. But if the ghost had targeted him, then there was noting we can do. _

_What am I saying? I am Nick Lucas! I am can do anything! Ok, maybe not anything…but I won't let Joe get taken by whatever is running around this house! _

"You won't be Joe." _I told him, determination overpowering the fear. _

"You told Macy that too though…" _I wasn't supposed to hear that whisper. But I did. I wrenched my arm out of Joe's grasp and looked at him with hurt and anger filled eyes. I did not need to be reminded that. Not now. Macy was gone when I swore to protect her. Even if I thought everything was fake then, it still counted. I let her get taken. And Joe…he had no faith in me, so why even bother?_

"Fine. Have fun getting taken." _I turned my back on them and walked up the stairs I had wanted to avoid. But right now, I didn't care. I would find Macy and Richard by myself. I didn't need to hang around them when all they did was remind me of how stupid I was before and how I let Macy down. I didn't need that. _

"Nick!" _I didn't stop at Joe's call. I glared to him when I reached the top step and walked down the short hall, opening the first door my fingers found in the near complete darkness. I heard then running up the stairs so I slipped in the room, closed it silently and looked around. A bedroom. The Master Bedroom. _

_It was regal and spacious, the windows all boarded up and dust covering every inch of it, but I could easily see the grandeur it had held in its days of use. The bed was a poster bed, dark red velvet drapes hanging over the sides, blowing a bit in the small wind that was coming through a crack in the boards the covered the windows. I walked to the fireplace, running my hand across the stone work and holding back a sneeze from the dust. And then I turned to look at the door, hearing frantic footsteps outside of it and doors opening and closing. I rolled my eyes, opening another door ands walking into a small empty room. A closest? A bathroom? _

"Nick?" _I sighed as they called to me, wondering if they remember the last time they called out to someone in this house. _

_I walked over to the hall door and opened it, sticking my head out and glaring as they all ran into another room. I followed them, wondering if they found something. I saw their flashlights making a laser show as they searched the room and I chuckled lightly as I heard a thud and Kevin laugh. Joe tripped. It was painfully obvious that he had. _

"I'm out here." _I called. The instantly ran out, Joe now even more covered in dust, Stella looking relived and Kevin looking lost. _

_"So am I." _

_My neck cracked as I turned my head. I was starring at the room I had just vacated. It was empty. _

"Did you…" _I turned back to them, all of them looking very confused. _"I keep hearing a voice." _I told them, still not mentioning the touches. For now, they were irrelevant. _"I must be going insane."

"W-well Ri-Richard did s-say that you l-looked like the youngest s-son." _Stella told me, Kevin nodding as he remembered. _

"You must be being targeted Nick!" _Why did he sound so enthusiastic? _"Just like Joe and the doll! Right Joe?" _I rolled my eyes and looked over to the room again, hearing scuffling and a small chuckle. It wasn't sinister this time. No…it was of amusement. Genuine amusement. Like it was laughing at a joke that we all seemed to miss. _

_I was the only one to hear it again. Unless they are pulling…my…leg. _

_I am so stupid! This whole thing has to be a prank! I can't believe I ever believed that we were being haunted! This is exactly like my brothers and Stella! It has to be an ongoing thing from last years idea to scare Kevin! How could I be so stupid?_

_Should I ruin the joke…or…twist it to my own advantage? _

_Ha. Time for me to have some fun. _

"Nick?" _I turned my attention back to Stella, who over the course of my internal thought process, had latched onto my arm. _"Joe's gone…"

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**Chibiyu: **_Who will be next to go? Is it all an elaborate prank on Nick, or is it real? Will I ever stop asking questions? Stay tuned! (Until Next Update lol)_


	4. Surprising Screams

**Chibiyu: **_If you can't tell by now, I lied. This will NOT be a 2-3 shot as the plot idea has changed entirely from my orginal idea…which is still incorporated in the story but to a lesser extent now :~)_

**Nick: **_Basically…all the more Me angst for you._

_DON'T OWN JONAS_

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**"Nick?" _I turned my attention back to Stella, who over the course of my internal thought process, had latched onto my arm. _"Joe's gone…"**

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_This…Joe was…he was the master of pranks…with him gone…not here to make sure Kevin doesn't mess everything up…this had to be real. Shouldn't I be screaming right now?_

"Wait…" _I spun around, looking for a shadow, straining my ears for a laugh, even trying to smell Joe's cologne before I faced them again. _"This is actually real…isn't it?"

_Only terrified nods answered me. _

"What happens if we don't find them?" _My shaky voice whispered and Stella paled at the thought, Kevin looking around with wide eyes. _

_"Their bones make perfect dolls." We all spun around, Kevin laughing nervously. His eyes shifted all around but he made no comment. Stella looked startled and promptly clung to his arm. I took a deep breathe, moving passed this voice. I've been hearing it all night and to me, it was a ghost. But right now, it was only a voice. We have time to find them. We CAN find them. Joe was terrible at hiding/staying hidden. I only hoped that this ghost didn't know that. Logic was gone. So hope was all I had left. _

"Ok, we need to get ourselves together." _I tried to stay calm and I think my acting skills were improving. Truth be told, I was far from calm. _

"That's a bit hard Nick, since 3 of us have been taken!" _Stella screamed hysterically, none of us bothering to quiet her. _"And this _voice…" She whispered, terrified beyond belief. She shook her head and buried into Kevin's chest. _"I want to get out of here."

"I do too…" _Kevin whispered. _"But Nick's right…we need to find the others." _I nodded to them and looked around. _"But…where do we start?"

"There." _I pointed to the stairs, not wanting to stay on this floor. _"And we _need _to split up. Kevin and Stella, first floor and I…I will go up."

"No." _Kevin said, but I had already stepped out of his grip. _

"We need to find them and together, we can't. Look back in the other rooms. If I were this…this thing, then I would hide them in rooms we've already been. But we still need to check the ones we haven't." _I took another step away, feeling the weight of fear settling on my chest, making breathing normally almost impossible. _"It will be fine. My blood sugar is normal, and if anyone sees anything, scream. Loudly." _Stella nodded, knowing she can do that, but the fear still danced in her eyes. _

"Nick…this is stupid…"

"I know Stell. But do you have another plan?" _She shook her head. This was madness and this was scary and possibly dangerous, but we had to find everyone. Soon. We need to get out of here. _

"Nick…" 

"Kevin, I'm going. Don't stop me." _He looked at me, lips pursed in thought, but he finally nodded. _

"You'd better scream loudly and run if _anything _happens to you." _I nodded and took the first step, turning and looking at them. _"I wish we had our phones. It was stupid that we can't bring them on this tour." _They nodded. _"Good luck." _And I ascended the rest of the way while they watched. _

_I shined my flashlight and blinked once. One door. One small hall. It was like an attic. Windows lined the hall, one not boarded up and the wind was whistling through the cracks. But it wasn't scary. The menacing aura that was on the floor below seemed to be gone. Up here…it felt different. Almost…happy. Almost…safe. I walked to the cracked wood door and opened it slowly, blinking once when I walked into a room filled with dead plants. A green room? I walked to the back wall of the small room, carefully maneuvering between the caked with dust pots and wiry stems. My feet crunched on the old, decaying leaves on the floor and I stopped, silence once again overtaking my world. What was that on the wall?_

_I leaned closer and wiped off a bit of dust, blinking and smiling when I saw a young boy, who looked extraordinarily like me, holding the hand of his father. _

"I wonder what his name was…" _I mused out loud, looking at the dark and intense eyes of the youth starring blankly at me. Though the photo was blurred by age and black and white, I easily see the smiles on their faces and the light look in their eyes that contradicted the looks we saw earlier. In this photo, they were without fear. This was there element…and I bet this was their hobby, their room. These plants…Everything up here was untouched by the evil below. It made sense…in a weird way. _

_I walked to of the room, slowly closing the door behind me. I felt like I should leave this place in peace and not be up here. If I brought the evil that lurked below up here, I knew I wouldn't forgive myself…but I don't know why. I turned and walked down the stairs, right as I heard a scream. _

"Stella!" _I yelled, tearing, rather loudly, down the steps and tried to follow her screams. _"STELL!"

"Here!" _I ran into the kitchen and pulled her close, looking around, feeling her shaking violently. _

"Where's Ke-" _And my eyes fell on the doll sitting in the father's chair. _

"Nick…"

"I know." _It was watching us. Its dead eyes were directly on us. Its porcelain skin was white enough to be bone. It was the ghost's way of targeting us. But why give us a warning? Why take us one by one? _"This doesn't make sense…why give us these signs?" _I was talking to the empty room now. Stella buried her face in my neck, her breathing swallow and horrified. _"Why warn us? Are you too scared to directly confront us?" _Nothing answered me. _

_I held onto Stella tighter, trying to calm her like I was trying to calm my own sporadic heartbeat. I was so scared, but I was the only person that Stella could cling too, so therefore, I needed to be strong. _

"I don't want it to confront us Nick…" _She whispered, looking up finally but not moving. _"Its clothes will be the death of me." _I chuckled at Stella's lame try to make light of the situation. We both knew clothes were finally the last thing on her mind. I took a breath and was about to move when Stella froze, not budging at all. And then I heard it too. Footsteps. Echoing down the stairs. Coming straight towards us. _

"H-hello?" _Stella called quietly, the footsteps still coming. They were light on the wood, as if the person was trying to stay quiet, but at the same time, like they wanted us to know that they were here with us. The swish of clothes was heard as the person advanced. _"Wait…I know those shoes…" _Stella let go of me and slowly walked to the door, ready to peek into the hall. I kept my eyes on the doll. _"Macy?"

"Stella!" _She burst into the room, right into Stella, knocking both of them to the ground. I ran over, finally looking away from the doll and O picked them both up quickly. Macy latched onto me, cold and covered in dust. _

"We have to get out of here!" _She screamed, pulling us towards the door and opening it. _"She's coming!"

_And the door slammed closed. _

_A laugh was heard over the echoing slam. _

_"You're mine now."_

_Macy screamed and Stella screamed and both of them latched onto me, as if I could protect them. I knew I couldn't. Not against something I could not touch. Something I could not see. Macy let go of me after a moment and frantically pulled at the door, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around, looking to the door. _

"She's here." _Stella and I both jumped and looked around. No one was seen. The doll was still looking at us, but it hadn't moved. Nothing had changed. _"I can feel her…" _Macy pointed to the door and shrank away. _"NO! STAY AWAY!"

_She bolted out of the room, me stopping Stella from chasing after her, even when Macy screamed. Why did I do that? I don't know. Something told me to not go after her. Something told me that if I did, Stella would be in danger too. But…Macy…did I just condemn her to death? _

"Mace?" _Stell called, but no one answered. Carefully, we walked out into the hall, making no noise. Macy was gone. I looked back in the room, after Stella and I both heard shuffling. The doll was gone. The room was empty. _"This is…freaking me out." _She paused, not knowing the right words. I agreed with her, though I didn't show it. _"Do you think they are ok? Macy seemed pretty…unstable."

"I don't know Stells. I wish I did, but…" _I shook my head, holding her hand and slowly leading her into the hall where Richard had told us not to go. _"I think we should look down here again."

"I really don't want to." _Stella didn't budge, pulling me back as I pulled forward. _

"Do you want to be alone here?" _She moved at that, instantly going to my side. She took a calming breath before letting me lead. _

_"_I don't like this…" _She whispered and I shook my head. _

"I don't either. But if you were the ghost…"

"They would be where we are most scared." _Stella finished, gripping my arm tighter. _"But I still don't like this." _I stopped, looking over my shoulder and jumping back. Stella instantly looked and growled. _"Nick! Don't scare me!"

"I wasn't!" _I told her, my voice higher and shakier than I would have preferred. _"I swear…I just saw…"

_"Hello children." _

_Stella's screams filled the ringing silence. _

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**Chibiyu: **_There you have it and sorry it is short. I am trying to update SB as well tonight. This may only have two or three chapters left. Until Next Update!_


	5. Spiderweb

**Chibiyu: **_Ok, I will NOT be updating ANY of my other stories (minus this one and GRBD) until these two are done. _

**Nick: **_Don't freak out, it won't last long…she has terrible commitment when it comes to this stuff. _

**DON'T OWN JONAS**

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**_Stella's screams filled the ringing silence. _**

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"RUN!" _I ordered, grabbing Stella and pulling her down the hall, not wanting to see the face of the ghost that was chasing us and not wanting to feel its grip. We wouldn't be taken. If we were, there would be no hope for Macy and my brothers. I opened the first door I saw and pushed Stella in it, me closing the door behind us before looking around. It was the room I was 'scared' in before. The same one where I joked with the others. Just like before, it was empty and shadow infested. But nothing moved. Nothing laughed. Nothing spoke. We were alone. _

_I reached back and instantly, Stella's hand latched onto mine, her coming and cowering behind me as we both watched the door. Our breaths came in short burst, terrified, uncontrolled. I could feel Stella shaking and I knew she felt my own tremors. That had been close. Too close. I don't like this. I want to get out of here. _

"Is…is it gone?" _Stella whispered into my shoulder and I shrugged, not trusting the ringing silence to cover the sound of my voice. _

_"Children…come out and play!" Stella buried her face in my shoulder and we both back away from the door at the sound of the female's voice. We weren't alone. We weren't safe. Were we doomed? "Come on Owen; let Mommy give you a hug!" _

_I looked to Stella in confusion and she looked back, her eyes wide with terror and knowledge. '_The younger son,' _she mouthed and my heart stopped. I looked like the younger son. She was after me. But then why would she drive away my brothers? _

_"Your friends were fun to play with Owen dear, but Mother only wants to play with you." The ghost whispered, sounding like she was right outside the door. I grabbed Stella and hugged her tightly, as if shielding her from the voice. We both stood there, in utter silence, too shocked and frightened to move, to speak, to breathe, as we watched the outline of the door. Both of our flashlights were turned off; we gave no sign to the ghost-to Maria- that we were in here. But she probably already knew. _

"Nick?" _Stella whispered and I looked down to her, not bothering to conceal my fright. _"Let go of me" _I did so, her kneeling down and touching the wall. She looked to the door for a moment before pulling me down with her. _"I remembered seeing something in the doll room." _Stella didn't explain passed that but after a minute, she didn't need to. I watched her pale and dainty fingers trace the cracked and dust covered wood of the walls and she smiled grimly when her fingers hit something other than wood. I looked closer and took a sharp intake as I realized what it was: a metal ring. Stella pulled on it and tugged harder, a small square portion of wood coming out with each tug. _

_"I know you're in there." I batted Stella's hand away and yanked the little door open, pushing her into the dark space without a thought. I froze for a moment when I heard the door knob jiggle, terrified. What if I left Stella and allowed the gh-Maria- to take who she really wanted? I looked to the door, about the close the passage and hide Stella when Stella all but yanked me inside and closed the little door swiftly._

"Amazing it didn't creak." _Stella whispered, not commenting on me not following her in this dark enclosed space instantly. I felt her tug on my arm as she led me through the tiny passageway. It must go under the stairs if Stella said she noticed something in the doll room. Sure enough, just a few feet into it, I looked up and flinched as I saw the outline of the steps, small bits of light from above seeping in and making all of the spiders in their webs visible. I was fine with one or two spiders, but hundreds were not ok for me. I didn't look up again. Instead, I focused on Stella's outlined form, glad that she decided against wearing a skirt to this place. That just would have been awkward at best. She stopped and pushed on the wall, it creaking a little as it slowly and stiffly swung open. She climbed out of and I followed, her turning and brushing a spider off my shoulder as I did the same to her. _

"That was terrifying. And disgusting." _She whispered, pushing the door closed her face still full of fear but she seemed more composed. Almost like she knew that I would freak out if she did. _

"And too close." _I finished for her, clicking on my flashlight, knowing that Maria would not like her prey running form her. And when she realized we were gone, I wanted to be able to see where I was running. I shined the light down as my toe nudged and object and sighed in relief when I saw it was only the doll and faded doll house. I looked up to she Stella turning on her light and she swallowed when she looked back at me. _"Stella, I need to tell you something." _She nodded and gestured for me to continue. _"I never told you guys this, but before Joe disappeared," _I paused as her shoulder's sagged from the mention of Joe's name. "_Before that happened, I've been getting touched by whatever it is that is here." _She looked to me and nodded, her eyes telling me that she has been too. She turned back around and looked to the walls, taking a deep breath that was far from calming. _

"All the dolls are back." _She commented, walking over to me and clutching my am again. I noticed them too. All of them were exactly where we first found them-all of them but one. Cautiously, as to not touch any of the porcelain figures, Stella and I wandered into the middle of the room, or ears straining for anything out of the ordinary. I looked to the door-the full size door- as Stella looked to the other corner of the room, her grip tightening on my arm. _"Nick?" _I turned, the fear bubbling back in my heart from the shakiness in her voice. I followed where her trembling finger was pointing and froze. The only sound was of my flashlight clanging as it hit the floor. _

_No. _

_There were four of them. New ones judging by the way Stella's weak flashlight reflected off their skin and how their clothes and hair were still untouched by the dust that lived in this house. One had glasses, unruly brown hair and was dressed in all white. Another had dark hair and terrified eyes, its little leather jacket shining from the flashlight's beam. The third had curly hair and a young looking soul peeking in through its fake eyes. The fourth…long brown hair, dark eyes, and a smile I knew well. _

"I'm gonna puke." _Stella muttered, taking a few steps away, her breath sporadic and uncontrolled. _

_I continued to stare at the thing in the corner, a single sentence replaying in my mind, over and over and over and over. _

_Their bones make perfect dolls. _

_Richard. Joe. Kevin. Macy. _

"Stell…we need to get out of here." _I spun around, not seeing her. _"Stell?"

_No reply. _

_I was alone. _

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"Was he scared?" I nodded at Joe's question, a smile on all of their faces but mine and Macy's. This was just mean. I sighed, looking around the small second floor room, the door locked so Nick couldn't run in here.

"I told you that this house was the perfect site for fake haunting pranks. I've been running it for six years." Richard proudly told us, standing up tall and we quieted down, waiting to hear Nick either run or scream.

"I still don't like this." Macy whispered, looking at me in sorrow. "This is mean and I _swear _I saw something when we first came in here. Something Richard, Kevin and Joe didn't set up." Joe rolled his eyes and loped his arm around Macy's shoulders.

"Mace, if we told you everything that we set up for this little Halloween prank, it wouldn't have seemed real enough for Mister 'I-don't-believe-in-ghosts.'" Joe laughed and Macy nodded looking away from him. I was the only person that saw the guilt lining her face.

"Nick's going to hate us." She whispered, hugging herself and not letting me hug her back. "I can't believe I agreed to this."

"What's done is done Mace! Nothing bad _actually _happens here. Yes, the story is true, but like Nick constantly says-"

"Ghost's don't exist." I finished for Kevin, who nodded. But I can't help feeling the same way. They didn't see Nick become scared. They didn't see anything. I felt bad for just leaving him out there to deal with the recordings and automated sounds and doors. It just didn't feel right. Nick isn't like Kevin. He _will _hold a grudge and he _will _get us back.

"I hear footsteps." Macy whispered and we all instantly quieted, Joe walking to the door and looking through the concealed peephole. He pulled back and shook his head.

"Nothing."

We all exchanged glances. Everything in here was motion activated. There was no reason for the footstep recording to go off randomly. There are no mice, no bats, and no possessed dolls roamed around so why did it go off?

Joe shrugged and returned to sitting on the old and dust free bed, pulling me over to his side as Kevin lounged back in the chair by the stone fireplace. Macy stood by the window, peering through the boards and Richard sat next to the door, on the floor.

"Awesome idea, with moving the doll." He complemented Macy, who smiled at her skill in running away quickly and hiding.

"Nice touch with the Macy, Joe, Kevin and Richard dolls." I told Richard, who smiled at me. I picked a spider web from my shirt, wishing that was as fake as the ghosts and sighed. No matter how cool this prank was, it was still mean. I was still guilty.

"Shouldn't Nick be screaming right now?" Kevin asked, consulting his watch. "The hologram of Daisy should be running by now." We all listened and only heard silence. "All the doors are dead-locked right?" Richard nodded. No one was getting in. No one was getting out. "Hmm…"

Joe looked up and over to Richard, like he just remembered something. "How did you do the no-air thing that Nick and I felt when we first got up here?" Richard turned his attention back to Joe, confusion dotting his eyes as his flashlight spun around in his hand.

"What no-air thing?" Joe looked taken aback and his mouth opened a little, suspicion furrowing his brow. "I don't know what you are talking about." Joe looked to his hands, thinking.

"Nice acting Macy, you had me convinced!" I told her, trying to shake off the moment of scared confusion. This was all just an elaborate prank on Nick. That is all. She nodded to me, knowing I was referring to when she was 'unstable.'

"So wait…you didn't set that up?" Joe asked again, eyes starting to darken with fear. "Nick and I actually felt something real?"

"I am sure it is nothing!" Richard tried but Kevin cut him off.

"That part where the recording said_ 'You are mine,'_ I don't remember recording that." Everyone looked at Kevin and Joe slowly nodded in agreement.

To add to the fear that was already growing by the second I knew I had to say something. "Nick told me that he was being touched by something. I know we all acted like we were being touched, but why would lie?"

"He may be pranking us." Richard put in but I shook my head.

"No." I stood and looked at everyone. "Nick's good, but no one can be that scared in an act." We all looked to the door, the same thought running through our minds.

Was this real?

Did our prank turn into Nick's reality?

What have we done?

"Maybe we should go find him." Macy suggested, walking over to the door but just as her hand hit the wood, a chilling voice was heard from below.

_"Now do you believe?" _

We all jumped and crowded to the door, fighting to look through the peephole and amazing, I won. Well, the boys were still fighting over it and Macy was trying to break it up, so by default I won. I heard footsteps and I saw Nick running up the stairs, his face pale and eyes too wide for this to be fake. He didn't stop running to hide in a room. He bolted up the next flight of stairs like his life depended on it. I turned and my heart stopped beating.

That was why Nick was running.

Maria was real.

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**Chibiyu: **_It started off as it all being a prank and then I thought about combining the real and the prank together and came up with this. Until Next Update! _


	6. Cracked Skulls

**Chibiyu: **_This should end soon. I'm gonna update a lot before Xmas and end it on Xmas. _

**Nick: **_*rolls eyes* like that is gonna happen. _

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**Maria was real. **

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_JOE'S POV_

I grabbed Stella's shoulder after I pried myself away from the fight to claim the peephole and she freaked, jumping and screaming loudly. I slapped my hand over her mouth quickly.

"Do you want Nick to hear you?" I whispered, peering out the peep hole and seeing nothing. I pulled my hand form her mouth and she pointed to the door, breathing heavily and sputtering words.

"Ma…Ni-real-chase-run-ghost!" She grabbed onto my arm, pale and eyes bugging out of her head. She was afraid. But of what? "Maria was chasing Nick up the stairs!" _She finally forced out and Richard started laughing while I felt her forehead. _

"Stella, I set up another hologram at the stairs-a Maria one." Stella's mouth opened into an 'oh' and a blush quickly covered her cheeks.

"So it wasn't real?" She whispered and Richard shook his head.

"Looks it, but it is not. Latest tech money can buy." He sounded very proud of that fact.

"Was Nick scared?" I asked and Stella nodded, her embarrassment fading to nerves. I walked over to Kevin and she walked over to Macy. They shared a look, Macy nodding before looking towards the door.

"We don't want to do this anymore." Macy clarified their glares as they pushed to the door. "It's cruel and uncalled for. And we don't want to face Nick's revenge." Kevin and I stood up, blocking the girls paths and Richard smiled, holding the key to the door in his hand. We knew the girls wouldn't like this ad we were not going to let them ruin this fun for us.

Stella walked over to me and hit me in the shoulder. I winced and rubbed the area but she poked through my fingers, a scowl on her face. "Joseph Adam Lucas, if you don't let us out I am going to switch your hair product with some very nasty things."

I felt my eyes widen to a comical size and panic reach my heart as my hand grabbed my perfect hair. She was joking…No. The evil gleam in her eyes was not one to be questioned. And I can't risk my hair.

"But Stella…" SHUT UP KEVIN MY HAIR IS ON THE LINE!

Macy walked over to Kevin and glared at him, backing him up against the wall like Stella had to me. "Kevin, if you don't let us out I am going to tear the arms of off Mr. Bumble." Kevin paled and his eyes widened and it was almost as if I was looking into a mirror.

"B-but-"

"I have the key girls." Richard told them, putting the key in his pocket and smiling at them. "And you can't hold anything against me."

"But my hair!" He rolled his eyes and fixed his own hair before lying back down on the bed. He clearly did not know Stella and Macy as well as we did. They looked to each other and nodded, advancing slowly towards poor, unsuspecting Richard. Richard looked up and smiled, fixing his glasses, clearly thinking he was going to fend of girly slaps.

"Come on girls, let's not fi-"

A chilling laugh cut him off and we all looked around, me running to the door. No one was outside.

"We didn't record a laugh like that…did we?"

Kevin shook his head. I shook my head. Stella shook hers. Richard shook his. Macy freaked out.

"Th-then wh-what was th-that?" Macy stuttered and Richard pulled out the key with a shaking hand.

"M-maybe N-Nick is pulling a f-fast one on u-us." Kevin suggested but Macy put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"Oh like Nick can sound like a girl." Kevin's shoulder's sagged as he was defeated. That laugh was definitely a girl and Macy had a point. Nick can sing higher than most girls but he can't laugh like one.

Apparently he can scream like one though.

Richard looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "Guys? Nothing is supposed to be running at this time. No laughs. No illusions. Nothing. Nick shouldn't be screaming." Macy ran over and grabbed the key form his hand and almost broke the little piece of metal with how hard she pushed it into the lock.

"This prank is over."

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_MARIA'S POV-yes the ghost :~)_

_ I was watching the intruders ever since the first stepped through my door. I know the fatter one in white very well-I've watched him every time he enters my house with poor scared souls. I've seen him grow rich with today's version of money from their fear. And I've come to like the chap as he kept the family story alive. And he used it to spread fear and uncertainty-just as I did in life. I knew I was dead, but that didn't mean I didn't have to stop my work. I still have to avenge my family name, and now Richard has given me that chance. _

_I watched my youngest son from the shadows, smiling every time I listened to his voice; sweeter and more pure but it mattered not. He was here, back in his house, even after the centuries. Every reincarnation needed to be destroyed. I already got my hands on my husband, hating him just as much in death than in life. _

_I watched the other's little tom foolery unfold and laughed quietly as they left him, one-by-one. E was finally alone. Finally I was able to get my hands on him without any suspicion. So I chased my son and I cornered him in the attic, laughing loudly as he backed into the door that hid his and his father's hobby. I laughed at his face, his fear that danced so wildly in his eyes and how his skin paled to the color of my own skin. I took a step towards him and my son seemed to finally find his voice. His scream hasn't gotten manlier I see. _

_I stepped towards him again and his fingers fumbled for the doorknob. I watched him as he finally got it open and slammed it behind him, thinking mere wood could hold me back. Pathetic. I smirked as I opened the door slowly, not even needing to touch the creaky old wood and I walked through the entry way. I looked to the corner and smiled as I saw him, his back pressed up against the walls, his eyes wide as he searched for an escape. There is none my son. There is none. _

"W-who a-are you?" _I crossed my arms at my son's stuttering. _

"How dare you forget your dear mother." _His eyes widened and realization flooded into them. _"Ah, now I see you remember me son."

"I'm not your son!" _He squealed like all the others did and I sighed. _

"You are. Just in a different time." _I stepped over towards him and his fingers grabbed a small vase. He hurled it at me and I didn't flinch. It sailed right through my head and landed on the floor with a loud shattering crash. They never learned. Ghosts can't get hit. Not by fists, wood chips, or flower vases. _"You just destroyed your favorite pot." _As if I cared. _"And you threw it at your mother."

_The boy bit his lip and his eyes searched for an escape again. I looked at the picture and sighed, walking over to it and ripping it from the wall. I avoided coming up here because I didn't want to see their faces again. Now I see how stupid that was. After all, I knew everything in this house and I knew that this room had the perfect trap; something that was a perfect get-away from me. Something they thought I hadn't known about. _

_I put my hand on the picture frame and lifted it up, hating how obvious and cliché they made this. I looked to my son and smiled at him as he stood, huddled in the corner. I turned my attention back to the wall and I pulled the metal hook, hearing a loud screech as the floor under the youths feet pulled away. His scream filled the house and it was echoed by my laughter. _

_He was mine. _

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_NICK'S POV_

_ This was not happening. Please tell me tat this is not happening. The ghost-Maria-thought I was her son. And her son was murdered. Her son 'betrayed' her family. And she wanted him gone. Or at least, I thought that was what she wanted. And then the floor dropped form under my feet, blackness obscuring her cold gray eyes but somehow that was still all I saw. I screamed in surprise and in fear as my stomach stayed floors above me. I didn't know where I was falling to or when I would stop falling and I was fairly sure that I didn't want to know at all. But of course it ended. _

_The floor leveled out and I slid down, stopping and falling forward as my feet hit something solid. I got up, feeling the floor cracking under fingers and I jumped up, brushing the dust like thing off my hands. I couldn't see anything but I felt the wall and I backed up into it, my fingers searching for an opening, a door, anything to get out of here. My fingers hit something hard, something that was not a wall and I recoiled back, wanting to know where I was. _

"Remember this place?" _I flinched as I heard her voice and pulled away when I felt something cold brush passed my ankle. I couldn't see her. I couldn't hear her. But I knew she was here. _"You want to see? You did always hate the dark." _I heard a finger snapping and small flames appeared on the wall, casting off the shadows and suddenly I was wishing for the darkness again. _"Like it? All of your reincarnations, hidden here to never give my family a bad name again."

_My voice caught up with me again and I screamed, kicking out and flinching when my foot met a broken bone fragment-the one my hand had crushed. _

"Daisy had her dolls. And I have mine." _Maria leaned over a skeleton, her white finger blending in with the white bone as she caressed the skull's cheek. Her hair, which used to be dark, was white and it hung over her face like a spider's web. _"And you are my new doll."

_My heart stopped at her words and I found it impossible to breathe. New…N-new D-doll? I looked to the mutilated skeleton next to me, taking in its half crushed skull and how it only had three fingers in total before it felt like I was going to faint. She wal-floated over to me and I shied away form her as she extended her arm, but there was nowhere I could go. She scowled and her nails raked against my cheek, anger flaring in her cold dead eyes. _

"Why run from me my son?" _She gestured to the three skeletons behind her_. "You should know by now that running only makes it hurt more."

"W-what d-do you w-want fr-from m-me?" _I hated how scared I sounded and how it seemed to fuel her excitement and eagerness. If I could control this fear, then I would be cursing and screaming and running and doing anything I could to get away. But fear controlled me. _"Wh-where a-are my fr-friends?"

_She laughed, her head falling back and shoulders heaving up and down, her form wavering and for a moment, I could see the wall behind her. _"Your friends?" _I nodded. _"They are fine. I think you will be quite relived…or angered to find out that they played a joke on you. Everything up to this point, up to me chasing you up the stairs, with a few exceptions of course, was fake. It was me who made it impossible to breathe. Me who kept touching you. Me who your little girlfriend saw. But everything else was fake." _I supposed to would have been livid if this news hadn't been delivered by a ghost. _"As to what I want with you…" _She sighed and shook her head. _"Isn't it obvious?"

_It was. But if Joe, Kevin, Stella, and Macy were still out there then I had hope. Right? _

"They won't be able to find you. You're under the house. They can hear you, but they won't find you." _I have to test that theory. I don't want to die. Not now. Not here. So I screamed. And screamed._

_And no one answered my call. _

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**Chibiyu: **_One or two more chapters to go! Until Next Update! _


	7. Bloodied Killing

**Chibiyu: **_Last chapter will come on Christmas! _

**Nick: **_You just can't give up torturing me for one day, can you?_

**Chibiyu: **_Be thankful. Without me, your life would be boring! _

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**_And no one answered my call. _**

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_KEVIN'S POV_

We head Nick's desperate and terrified screams but we couldn't tell where they were coming from. Macy had taken of up the stairs and no one could keep up with her. We finally got to the top hallway and peered inside the open door. Dead plants? I looked over and saw a shattered pot and recent footprints in the dust. I looked to the far wall and titled my head as I looked to the slanted painting.

"Guys, look at this." I walked over and shined my flashlight on it. "He really did look just like Nick." The youngest son had the same curls, the same look to his eyes and he even looked about the same height.

"I wasn't lying." Richard whispered. "I saw this when I first opened this place and I left it untouched. Can't you feel it?" I looked at him, rather confused but then I did feel it. This place, it just felt like it needed to be untouched. It felt calm. It felt safe. It was almost like this room was a sacred place. But that's silly right? It's only a green room filled with dead plants. Wasn't it? "Owen was very real." Richard pointed to the picture. "I never lied when I told you about this family, you all know that." And we did, but it all seemed so much more real now that we saw the old painting.

We were broken out of our trance as Nick screamed again, this time we could make out a single word:

"STOP!"

"Nick?" Macy called, spinning around, her feet making a random pattern in the dust on the floor. She looked down and followed his footprints, stopping at a corner of the room and pursing her lips. "That's odd." She pointed down. "He went over here, but according to the dust prints, he never left this spot."

"What?" Stella walked over and her eyes widened. "Mace…what if we can't find him because he's not in the house?"

Macy's eyes lit up and the two girls paid no mind to the very confused trio of boys watching them. "He's not in the house. He's _under _it." Macy stood up and walked over to Richard. "Does this house have a basement?"

Richard shook his head. "If it does, I don't know about it." Macy stomped her foot angrily and sighed, walking out of the room. "But if there is one, we will find it!" Richard quickly stated before walking out after her. As he passed me, he whispered 'she scares me' into my ear. I could only nod and smirk. Macy was scary when she left her protective side take over.

"This thing is real." Stella whispered, looking towards Joe and I. "We need to find Nick. If Richard was right about the story-"

"Then Nick's in more trouble than we can imagine." I finished and Joe paled, running after Macy and Richard as they went down the stairs. Stella and I nodded to each other and followed them. This wasn't a prank anymore.

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NICK'S POV

_No one answered me. No one came for me. She was right. But they needed time to find me right? But how long? How long could I survive this? Maria wanted me dead. But if I was right, she wanted to have fun with me a little longer. I only hoped she would drag that out until they came. I didn't want to die down here. Not by the hand of a ghost and not surrounded by the long since dead. Not here. Not now. _

_But I may not have a choice. _

_I watched her, in all of her faintly glowing glory as she stalked over to me, her fingers brushing against the stone wall and the two other skulls of those dead by her hand. the slight hiss her fingers somehow made as they dragged against the wall and the swish of her clothes were the only things to fill the silence. _

"What am I going to do with you young one?" _She laughed lightly, her dead eyes sparkling as she thought of different ways to hurt me. _"Should start by breaking your fingers, one by one, or maybe I should rip off that pretty head of curls?" _I shuddered, my fingers involuntarily clenching into a protective fist as I shrank against the wall. I was desperate to avoid her cold touch, knowing that it would only bestow fear into my heart and bring torturous pain stabbing into my soul. Needless to say, I wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. _"I know…I want to smell your blood and watch it stain the bone fragments you sit upon."

_I watched her bend down and grab a bone from the floor. It glowed bright in the shadows, the whiteness of the long bone almost ghost like. She looked at it and smashed it against the wall, me flinching as the bone shattered and fragments and dust showered down. I dared look back at her and cringed away again when I was the point on the once rib bone. _"It's been 52 years since I have spilled blood." _Maria whispered, her voice sending shivers down my spine as it was filled with such icy excitement that global warming would be stopped dead by the sheer amount of cold in her voice. _

_She advanced towards me and anther scream ripped from my throat as the bone lightly touched my cheek. She laughed at how desperate my scream sounded before tracing my cheek bone. She didn't break the skin though. Not yet. I watched the bone fragment as she let it fall to my arm and I tensed, knowing what was coming. She pushed and gasped out as it broke my skin and blood started trickling down my arm. I wanted to look away from the bone that was impaling my arm and steadily staining red, but I couldn't. My eyes wouldn't obey. And she pulled the bone down, me just barley holding back a scream as the sting intensified to a searing pain. I watched her pull the fragment form my arm just as it reached my wrist. _

"What fun is there if you don't scream?" _Maria laughed, rather tauntingly before tracing the bone along my neck. I swallowed when it reached my Adam's apple as I had just become aware of the sticky residue it left. _"There is the line where I will slit your throat." _She traced out my death in my blood. She looked down and smiled as she watched my blood which still fell slowly from my arm. She reached out and coldness enveloped my whole left side. It felt like I was dying; like my whole left side had just given out on me and stopped functioning. Like my heart had froze in the midst of its last beat. She pulled back, a single dot of red on her fingers. She lifted it to her nose and smelled and I nearly lost it when her tongue flicked out and she tasted my blood. _"I grow bored of the silence." _She muttered and I didn't have time to brace myself before she started stabbing my right leg with the bone fragment. _

_White hot pain erupted from my leg after the second stab and my face contorted into the perfect picture of pain. Each time that bone entered my flesh, I could hear my skin breaking and I could feel more blood pouring from each new wound. I barely heard her laughing as all of my senses where dulled my the fire consuming my leg. I can't take this anymore. Please…please…just-_

"STOP!" _I yelled out, my voice choking from the pain and the need for her to stop this. And to my relief, she did. But the pain was still there. Oh god, it was still there. I sobbed out, not meaning to but it happened without my consent as I clutched my leg to my chest, crying out softly as pain shot through me when it bent. I took a small amount of consolation in the fact that she had somehow not broken my bones. _

"Are you hurt son?" _She laughed. _"Well then you don't you let mother stop your bleeding?" _I opened my eyes and blinked passed the blurriness of tears. She knelt by me, a candle in her hand. I watched as the wax melted and the little flame grew. Despite the size of the flame and the heat radiating from it, the room didn't seem to get any warmer. It seemed to be forever chilled by the scream of Maria's victims and by her hate. _

_I didn't have the strength to stop her from wrenching my leg back down and this time, I cried out in pain, loud enough for anyone in the house above to hear it. Joe, Macy, Kevin, Stella, Richard, where are you? I looked to the ceiling as Maria bent over my leg and I tried to move away as she pushed up my pants leg, but her cold and strong grip held me in place. I closed my eyes, just barely seeing the light from the flame in her hand as I did before a fire really did consume my leg. _

_I screamed. _

_I screamed for a reprieve. _

_I screamed for my pain. _

_I screamed for an end. _

_The smell of burning flesh reached my nostrils and my stomach churned. It took all of my diminishing willpower to hold the bile down and back. But I couldn't stop the screams. I couldn't stop the tears. It hurt too much. Oh god…the pain! It encircled me and held me tight keeping me prisoner in its inescapable fingers. There was no describing this pain; it was too great for my mind to even fully process. _

_And then it was done. My leg was too numb to hurt anymore. I stupidly let my head fall back down and I panted heavily both from screaming and from the experience. I looked at my leg, crying out as I saw the burned skin, as red as the flame that had burned it. I tried wiggling my toes but nothing happened. Nothing…_

_Maria laughed. _"You can't run now son. You're mine now."

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_MARIA'S POV_

_I watched my son's eyes fill with the fear I loved seeing and I saw his pain on his face. I loved that he stopped hiding his emotions of is fear, of his pain-I wanted to see the full show when I was torturing my son before I ended his misery. But there was still one thing I needed to do. He needed to beg for it. He needed to beg to be killed. Just like Owen did all those years ago. I needed to break him and to hear him beg for his mother to end it all. Without that, it just wasn't as fun. _

_I reached over and stroked his face, me smiling harder when I found that he didn't even have the strength to flinch away anymore. I was slowly breaking him. His resolve was gone. His strength was quickly following. _

"It must hurt, knowing that your friends are right above our head and they can't save you." _I whispered, watching him shiver as he processed my words. _"Surely you don't think they cane still find you?"

"Th-they w-will f-find me." _He stuttered, still breathing quite hard. _

_I laughed and he whimpered as my finals scraped against his skin. _"JOE! KEVIN!" _I yelled, making my yells as taunting as possible. _"MACY! STELLA! RICH-ARD!" _I laughed as I heard them yelling above. _"COME ON, NICK IS WAITING FOR YOU!"

"Nick!" We both heard a brother call.

"Kevin!" Nick weakly tried to scream and I laughed lightly.

"Pathetic, you can't even call back to him." _I played with his curls. _"Well, that was fun while it lasted baby boy, but now we should _really _get back to our game.

"N-no." _My son with a different name whispered and took in his cowering form, finding that he was so close to doing what I wanted him to do._

"Oh son, you should know that only death will make it all go away." _I whispered. _'But until I find it in my heart to kill you, I want to have more fun." _The boy whimpered and curled back into himself, as if that would protect him. Pathetic boy. _"What should I do next to you?"

"NICK! WHERE ARE YOU?" _We both looked up at the call. _

"BASEMENT!" _The boy managed to yell and I smacked him hard upside the head. _

"You impudent boy. I guess I won't have time for a slow torturous mean of death anymore." _I picked up the bone fragment again and ran it along his neck once more, tracing the blood line I left before. _"But I am not ready to deliver the final blow." _The boy whimpered again as I put the bone to this white wife beater t-shirt. I raised my arm and slammed the bone into the boy's stomach, being careful not to damage him too badly-I wanted this doll to be perfect. His scream almost made me push harder. I love drawing the magnificent sounds from my victims and this boy was living up to the other screams. _

"NICK!" _I barely heard the call over the boys screams. I yanked the bone from is stomach and his screams increased, his hands instantly covering the wound above his belly button. _

_I knelt done beside him. _"They aren't going to find you." _I whispered in his ear, playing with his hair a little. _"The only way for your pain to end is to die."

"Th-then k-kill me. Pl-please." _Owen's reincarnation stuttered. _

"Gladly. Anything to end your pain." _I laughed and traced the dried blood line across his throat. I pressed it down and was ready to break the skin as I looked into the boy's face. I saw his tears, his pain, his fear, and that only egged me on more. _"Goodbye son." _The bone slipped through my fingers suddenly and the boy kicked it away. I glared at him. _"You're going to wish you hadn't done that."

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_NICK'S POV_

_I don't know why I kicked the bone away-I wanted this burning ache to end. But death wasn't the answer. I needed them to find me and somehow get me out of here. I can't get out. I can hardly move. But that didn't mean I really wanted to die. I closed my eyes, thinking on screamed to my brothers one last time and I opened my mouth but something covered it. I opened my eyes and almost screamed again. A face of a boy was inches from me, his eyes sad as he looked at me. _

_Wait…_

_'Owen?' I mouthed and he nodded, us looking at each other for a moment an me marveling at how alike we looked. I opened my mouth again to ask him something but the ghost raised his finger to my lips and I jumped, expecting a cold and heartless touch. But his finger was warm and nothing like his mothers. He took his finger from my lips and put it to his. I nodded slightly and he smiled sadly to me. His form wavered and vanished but I felt a slight and warm weight on my arm and I knew he was still here. But why did he just come now? Why hadn't he come to save the others? _

_Maria turned back to me, the bloody bone back in hand and I shuddered at the sight. Her pale form was splattered with my blood all over her arms and with an evil and menacing glare in her dead eyes. _"And now, you will die." _The pressure and warmth left me arm and nearly cried out, hating how alone I now felt. With Owen here, it felt more like the room upstairs; safer. But now he was gone. I was left alone. Is this what the others experience too? Did he just leave them like he did me? _

_I whimpered as I felt the bone fragment press into my neck and it broke skin but I didn't feel the blood falling and staining my shirt. Suddenly, Maria jumped back and the wall behind her shuddered. _

"What is this magic?" _She hissed, turning back to me and slamming my head into the wall. _"What did you do?" _But I couldn't answer. I clutched my head tightly and gasped out as pain exploded back there and spots exploded behind my eyes. My fingers met something sticky and warm; my blood. _"Owen!" _Maria gasped but I couldn't open my eyes to see what was happening. _

"Leave him alone mother." _A voice that sounded oddly like mine whispered and Maria laughed. _

"No. You couldn't stop me before son and you won't stop me with this one. Look at him, he is already dying." _I felt the warm fingers probe the back of my head and I whimpered like a kicked puppy as I felt the slight pressure. _"You failed again Owen."_Maria hissed. _

"No. I didn't." _The ground trembled below me and I felt something small knocking into me. I pried open my tearing eyes, hissing lowly at the pain that shot behind my eyes. _"I brought back up." _I gasped lowly as I saw the whole in the wall that seemed to angle up. I heard footsteps and Maria screamed in again, slapping her white son hard and I watched him fall and is form dissipate. Maria rushed over to me and picked up the bone. _"You will be dead before they find you."

"H-help!" _I managed to choke out before clutching my head again as Maria shook it violently. _

"No one can help you now."

_And the bone fragment met my neck. _

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**Chibiyu: **_One more to go! Until LAST Update! _


	8. Haunted Legend

**Chibiyu: **_Last chapter! Hehe. _

**Nick: **_Finally…now I have one less story to worry about._

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**_And the bone fragment met my neck. _**

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"NICK!" _I jumped harshly, wincing as my movements caused the bone to dig further into my skin and crying out as Maria slowly started tearing it across. I couldn't answer them. Maria hissed and suddenly the bone was gone from my neck as she spun around, her face twisted into a demonic expression as two people ran down the opening. Why were the police here? _

_Maria screamed, a terrifying, blood chilling scream. Both of the policeman paled, dropped their guns and ran right back from where they came. _

"N-no…" _I called but my voice came out as a cracking whimper. I hated being this weak, but everything hurt. I couldn't move my head without experiencing pain shooting throughout my entire being. My couldn't walk or crawl because every time I tried to move, the burned scab would crack and again, pain would dull my senses. I was useless. And I hated it. _

"Yes." _Maria turned back to me. _"This isn't working is it?" _She sighed. _"I had hoped to leave your heart undamaged, but I guess I need to speed things up." _Maria sighed and lowered the bone fragment, pushing it down until it broke the skin right above my heart. _

"HOLY CRAP!" _She growled and looked over her shoulder but did not move the bone. I blinked through the tears and my eyes widened as far as they could while I was in this state. Joe, Kevin, Macy, Stella, and Richard were standing in the hole-in-the-wall. _"Nick! Get away from him!" _Macy yelled and she ran towards us, Maria sighing and standing up, letting the bone drop to the ground and me to sigh in utter relief that I wasn't dead yet. Maria opened her arms as if to give Macy a hug but Macy ran right through her and tripped, landing rather hard on me. More specifically, on my leg. I hollered out in pain and she quickly got of me and hugged me tightly. _

"Nick, are you ok?" _She whispered and I shook my head, whimpering and clutching it again as I was stupid enough to move it. _"Guys, we have to get Nick out of here."

"Good luck." _Maria hissed and she turned and pushed Macy away from me without even laying a finger on her. _"He's mine."

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_MARIA'S POV_

_ I picked up Nicholas by the collar and lifted him so he was on his knees, him gasping out in as his leg rubbed against the bones and rocks he sat on. I laughed as his blood stained the floor even more. Joe and Kevin started forward, but I laughed as both of their fists slammed right through me and they hit the wall behind them, both of them hissing in pain and shaking their fists out. I laughed hard and shook Nick and dropped him, him crumpling to the floor and curling up. _

"What did you do to him?" _I turned to the blonde girl-Stella- and sighed._

"Look around you darling girl and I think your question will be answered." _They all looked around and I took that opportunity to bend down and take the bone again. I yanked Nick's head up, his startled yelp drawing everyone's horrified gazes again as I traced the bone along his neck. _"I'm going to kill him." _I answered and with that, I pushed the bone into the already made wound on Nick's neck, him whimpering as he starred at his loved one. _"Say goodbye to Nicky." _I hissed, ready to draw my arm across and leave him to bleed out. I knew if I killed him that his skeleton would not be mine, but at least I could rest east until another reincarnation came my way. After I killed this one however, I hoped that I would never again have to see Owen's face. _

"No!" _The brunette screamed, launching herself at me but the second youngest brother stopped her as dug the bone deeper into his neck. To them, it looked like it was about an inch in, but I knew that the bone had barely scraped the surface of his skin. I didn't want him dead before I moved. _

"I thought I told you to leave him alone." _I looked over to my son as he rose from the bones and candle ashes, his form paler than mine as he was the weaker spirit here. The four in front of him jumped and Stella screamed. I cringed from the high pitched noise and snarled at the girl, Stella instantly paling and her mouth shutting. _

"You're too late Owen, my _son._" _I sneered, gripping Nicholas's hair tighter. _"You always were." _And I pulled the bone across Nicholas's neck, breaking his skin and relishing in the feeling of the warm blood falling through my fingers and staining my white. _

"NO!" _Stella and the oldest brother screamed. _

"NICK!" _Macy and the second brother yelled. _

_Richard just stood there, a dumb look on his face as he looked to me. I threw Nicholas's quickly dying body to the floor, where he lay still and where a pool of blood formed. No one moved. The shock must have been too great. _

"Nothing to say Richard?" _I cooed and his eyes narrowed into a glare. He walked over to me and pointed his finger. _

"You." _He sneered, his voice much colder than I expected. _"You murderous fiend. I used to love you Maria, and then you changed. You let yourself be warped by the devil." _He grabbed my shoulder, something I as not expecting and I starred at him in shock. Who was this? _"You don't remember me?" _He laughed. _"I'm your husband." _I watched with wide eyes as his seemingly human form wavered and paled into a white figure. My husband…but how? _"I've been waiting for you to show yourself for years Maria. It's time for you to stop and to leave this earth. You're done killing."

_It was my turn to laugh. _"Oh am I?" _I pointed down to the body I had just thrown away, not bothering to look at it as I knew he was dead. _"I killed once more and you and Owen both failed to stop it."

"Oh, did we?" _My eyes widened and I spun to look at Nicholas's body, needing to see him still, pale, and covered in the curtains of death._ _But what I saw made me scream. _

_And scream. _

_And scream. _

_Owen, the traitor of a boy, was sitting in front of Nicholas , glaring at me. His hand was one Nicholas's neck, the other on his torso, right above his heart. The boy was still breathing. _

"You can't stop me from finishing him." _I snarled and my husband whose real name has been lost to my memory. He slapped me across the face and pushed me away from the boy and my bastard of a son. _

"I intend to stop you." 

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_OWEN'S POV_

_ I listened to everything father and mother were saying but I didn't exactly hear their words. I was too focused on keeping Nick alive. In life, I was the healer of the family and of the town that used to surround this cursed house and I managed to take that ability on with me, even passed death itself. The power morphed itself into something my mother would call dark magic but I know it as a blessing. I had been two late with the other poor should who will eternally lie in this prison, but with Nick, I wasn't. I can save this teen. _

_I felt his blood falling through my fingers, making me feel cold inside but I managed to keep his heart beating and his blood flowing from his neck to slow to a snail's pace. But he wasn't out of the woods yet-to use a common age idiom-he still lost a lot of blood. My mother knew exactly where to slit throats to make it so the victim was dead within seconds, just form blood loss alone. If I had been a second later, Nick would have died. _

_I looked over my shoulder and gestured for Nick's family to come over as my father and mother were yelling at each other. They did so, rather shakily and they each dropped to their knees, not caring about the bone fragments and rocks under them. _

"So…y-your the g-good guy…r-right?" _Joe stuttered and I nodded. I grabbed his hand and placed it on Nick's and I did the same with Macy. _"Will…will he be ok?"

"Yes." _I told them, returning back to my work. _"He should be. He did lose a fair bit of blood but his should recover." _I ran my fingers over Nick's neck and watched the wound seal. I looked over to his leg and bit my lip; hating my mother for all that she put this poor boy through. I moved my arm from his chest and put one on his injured arm and the other on his leg. The cut on his arm was shallow and easy to seal but his leg…nerves had been severed and burned until they died. If I wasn't here and if this was a natural cause without my mother's intent, Nick would have lost this leg. But I was here. And he wasn't dead. So I fixed it, aware of the gazes of Nick's loved ones as I wiped the burns away. The last thing I looked at was the back of his head. I winced when I felt the swollen gash and I knew that a concussion would have resulted from this. Leave it to my mother to make dying the most painful experience..or at least to make sure Nick would have nightmares of this day._

_Done, I sat up and sighed, weary from this. Never before have I done something to this extent, but leave it to my mother to make things hard for me. _

"Thank you." _Kevin whispered and I nodded, looking over to see father pushing mother against the wall and yelling at her to leave, in the name of Heaven. Mother only laughed. I looked back down towards Nick and nodded again. _

"He will be fine." _I told them, grasping Nick's shoulder tightly. _"I'm sorry I was faster." _I told the unconscious teen before standing. _"Take care of him. Oh and guys, next time you decide to prank someone, make sure that ghosts don't inhabit the house." _Sadly, I wasn't kidding. Most of us were not nice. We were a scary a violent race of people and demons rejected from Heaven or spit back up from Hell. It was how the cycle went. I stood and went over to my parents, grabbing my father's arm and both of us nodded to each other. We grabbed mother's shoulders and she shrieked as she was assaulted by the warmth of our hearts. Demons like her can't stand being touched by the pure of heart. _

"It's time to leave Mother." _ I whispered and she screamed again, her form dissipating into nothing and her scream dying suddenly until silence was around us. I looked back to the brothers and smiled as I saw how Kevin was cradling Nick to his chest. I never had that but now, thanks to them, I had a ticket into Heaven. My job on this earth was done. Maria, the women who I called my mother, was gone. _

_I smiled as Macy looked over to me and she nodded in thanks. Father took my hand and then I was gone. And this time, instead of seeing this house at the end of the tunnel…I saw a light. _

_I was free. _

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_KEVIN'S POV_

I looked over to the two good ghosts only to find that they weren't there anymore. I looked to Macy but she shook her head, not bothering to explain the small smile on her face.

"Let's get Nick out of here." She whispered and we all nodded. I looked around, unable to help myself and I found shivers running down my spin from the old blood stains and cracked bones. I stood up, shifting Nick so I could get a better grip on him before I carefully maneuvered through the bones and out the hole. How was I going to do the ladder?

"Umm…" Joe stopped and laughed as he saw my dilemma.

"Yeah...we didn't think of this." Joe joked lightly. "Here, I'll go up and get the police to send down something." I nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be quick."

I watched him climb up after Stella while Macy stayed down with me. She still hadn't let of Nick's hand. "That was scary." She whispered. She leaned against me and I wanted to throw an arm over her shoulder but unfortunately my arms were occupied.

"Yeah Mace, it was." I agreed, holding my younger brother closer. "But Nick's ok. And Maria is gone."

"Aren't you freaked out by all this?"She whispered in disbelief by my calm tone.

I nodded. "Trust me Mace, I am…I think this is the shock talking. How could I not be freaked out?" I ignored my voice, which rose about an octave higher. "I watched my little brother's throat get slit by something I didn't believe in!" I took a deep breath, calming myself before I freaked out even more. "Where's Joe with help?"

"Here." I looked up and smiled when I saw him getting lowered down on a gurney type thing. "Two people can sit on this. Pass me Nick." I handed over our brother and once he was situated in Joe's arms, the gurney start rising again. "The cops are pretty terrified by the way!"

"Did you tell them anything?"

"Yeah, Stella is explaining everything now. And since they saw Maria with their own eyes…" The rest of Joe's words were cut off when he reached the touch. I gestured to Macy to climb up and she did, looking quite happy to be getting out of this area.

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_JOE'S POV_

I jumped up in shock when a scream blasted my ear and I screamed in shock. I looked wildly around for the reason of the scream but all I saw was a dark room. Wait…I turned and saw Nick sitting up, panting and looking down at me, his eyes wide and confused. I sat up and hugged him tightly, pulling him back down on his bed, Kevin sat up as well as he had been sitting slumped over at Nick's desk. Nick's hand went to his throat and he swallowed once before turning to us, waiting the answer for the question in his eyes.

"It's over Nick." I started out as Kevin sat on Nick's other side by his head.

"But…" His hand was still on his throat. "How?"

"How are you alive?" Kevin whispered and Nick nodded, shaking slightly. "Owen. We don't understand it but he kinda healed you."

"Kevin, he's a ghost, we don't exactly need to understand it." I joked and Kevin nodded but no smile came to his face. I instantly regretted my words however when Nick flinched at the word 'ghost.' "Hey, its ok, its over." I repeated, rubbing his back in a comforting way as he sat up again.

"What did Maria do to you?" Kevin whispered but Nick shook his head, saying without words that he wasn't exactly ready to tell us.

"Where are mom, dad, and Frankie?" He questioned, trying to change the subject and avoid going into detail with what happened tonight.

Kevin sighed and wrapped his arm around Nick's shoulder. "Not home." He said, not explaining anything.

"They're kinda with the police…" I turned away as Nick's gaze swiftly turned to stare at me, begging for more information. "Well the police saw Maria and mom and dad aren't convinced in our story like they were."

Nick nodded but there was still something on his mind. "What happened to M-Owen and the others." He avoided saying Maria's name, wincing slightly before he caught himself. We both shrugged.

"Macy watched it happen but we were too occupied with you." I told him and he nodded. "We looked back and they were gone and Macy was smiling, so that is a good sign…right?"

"We didn't ask her about it; we kind of forgot to." Kevin elaborated, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "We heard you, you know. We tried to find you but we couldn't. Not on our own." Nick looked over to Kevin and I wasn't able to see his eyes but his body language was stiff. He didn't want to talk about this but we were going to make him. "We stopped for a second and looked around and Stella saw Owen. She of course freaked out a bit but Owen pointed to the floor beneath him. Richard walked over to him, no fear in his face."

"We were really confused by that." I added and Kevin nodded. "Richard kneeled down by Owen's feet and greeted Owen without looking at him or us. He said 'so this is where she does it,' and he touched the floor. It was so weird…he told us to back up and before we knew it, the floor was being blasted apart and a hole in the ground was revealed."

"How?" Nick questioned and I shook my head.

"Richard was the husband…all along he was the husband, trying to lure out Maria and stop her." I shook my head again. "I never thought…it's insane."

Kevin looked over to me and took over again. "The police had been called because someone heard screaming and we told them everything but they didn't believe us. So they went down the hole with a ladder of their own and came back up a minute later, white and pale. We knew they saw you and Maria, especially when we heard her scream." Nick drew his arms around himself and tried to hold back a shudder as he remembered, but the action came anyway. Kevin pulled him close and hugged him and I scooted closer.

"We ran down and…" I couldn't get the rest of the words out. Nick seemed to understand though, as he nodded and grasped my shoulder tighter than I thought necessary but I let it be. "It was terrifying." I whispered and Nick nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly. "To see you like that and not being able to stop Maria…we thought we were gonna lose you." I whispered and Nick looked to me, my own fear reflected in his eyes. He had thought he was going to die.

"But we didn't." Kevin quickly put in, stretching his arm across and pulling us both into a one-armed hug.

"Owen came." Nick whispered and we nodded. "I saw him before you guys found me and I nearly had a heart attack from it." He revealed, chuckling lightly as he remembered his unjust fear. "He tried to stop her, but she was too strong for him, so he went to you guys." Nick paused. "He went to his father. To Richard."

I looked to Nick and pursed my lips. "That room you were in…those skeletons were people Maria murdered, weren't they?"

Nick nodded. "She has been killing people who look like Owen, saying they were his reincarnations, ever since she died." And Nick had been next on her list. "Why would she do that?"

"Some mothers shouldn't have kids Nick." Kevin stated and we both looked at him, not exactly knowing that Kevin had something that deep inside him. "Macy and Stella are worried about you. You should call them tomorrow. They are fine, by the way." Nick nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes darkened slightly with anger but he didn't speak for a moment.

"I never want to go through that again." He hissed and he pulled away from us before turning and glaring. "She told me something interesting while I was trapped." Kevin and I shared glances, not quite understand yet. "Don't you _ever _prank me like that again. Next time you do…" He shook his head, smirking evilly at us. He left the threat hang in the air and Kevin and I shivered, knowing that he would and could get us back.

"Are you ok Nick?" I asked, sensing the underlying fear was still there.

He looked over to me. "Right now I am a bit…freaked out still but I think I'll be ok…maybe." Wow he sounded so confident in his answer. "Why were you in my bed?" Way to change the subject again Nick.

"Because I was worried about you." I smiled at him and hugged him tightly, laughing as h struggle to get out. I fell backwards, drawing him back and wrestling lightly with him, knowing that he still wasn't 100% yet. "It's not common to have my little brother attacked by an insane ghost." I whispered, feeling him shiver again from the mention of it. "Are you sure you will be ok?"

He nodded and stopped struggling, leaning against me. "I'll be fine…but…can you stay here tonight?" I looked to Kevin and we both nodded. He ruffled Nick's hair and Nick pulled away, glaring slightly at Kevin. I smirked playfully at Kevin as Nick scooted closer to me and Kevin chuckled. He stayed sitting and finally sighed, squeezing down on the bed.

"And this is why I didn't lay down." Kevin laughed, getting up again. "I'll sit here until you fall asleep."

"That's creepy." I muttered and Nick chuckled besides me. I smiled as he stretched out and got comfortable next to me before putting his head on my shoulder. I put my hands behind my head, without moving Nick, and closed my eyes, smirking at my last comment as I felt Kevin purposefully starring at me. "Stop it Kev." He chuckled and I felt him ruffle my hair but unlike Nick, I smiled and just flicked it back out of my eyes. My hair looked best messy anyway. "Hey Nick?"

"Hmm?"

"No more haunted houses. Do you agree?" Nick chuckled lightly at my question, stifling a yawn behind his hand. We settled into a comforting silence after that and after a few minutes, Nick was asleep again.

"We almost lost him Joe." Kevin whispered, placing his hand on Nick's shoulder.

I looked up to Kevin and nodded. "But we didn't." I paused and smiled over to Nick. "Thanks to Owen. Who would have thought…?" Kevin shook his head and stood up, going over to his bunk.

"Shout if you need me or if you want to talk."He smiled and crawled in his bunk, leaving the curtain open for once.

I looked over to him and scooted closer to Nick, not understanding how he kept warm with only one blanket. My eyes fell on Kevin's leather chair and then to the table next to it with the bust of Beethoven. My brow furrowed as I thought back. We just proved ghosts are real so does that mean…

I mean chili doesn't just disappear by itself.

Or does it?

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**Chibiyu: **_So I asked a 'Magic 8 Ball' if I should kill Nick and it said "Ask Me Again," so I did and it said "No." So Nick lived. Yay! See you with next story! _


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